Songs from the Wood

39 years ago today, in the wake of declaring themselves too old to rock 'n' roll and too young to die, Jethro Tull released their 10th album and revealed that they'd decided to folk things up a bit.

Recorded in the autumn of 1976, just after the band had concluded their tour in support of the Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! album, Songs from the Wood definitely found Jethro Tull turning in a different musical direction. Indeed, upon its release, Melody Maker acknowledged that it was “definitely unlike anything they have recorded before” and subsequently theorized that “perhaps Ian Anderson has decided to put his money where his often over-sized mouth is, and really attempt to vary the formula.”

Fans of the Original Album Series box sets, rejoice: we bring unto you our latest effort, this time spotlighting five albums from the late ’70s / early ‘80s period of Jethro Tull’s discography. You will please note that this spotlight shines strictly upon the band’s studio output, which is to say that you’ll have to look elsewhere if you’re interested in obtaining a copy of their 1978 live album, Bursting Out. You may also wish to recall that there are some critics who would argue that this timeframe will literally provide you with the highest of Tull’s creative highs as well as the lowest of their lows, but, hey, everybody’s got their own opinion. (Personally, we find that there are merits to all of the albums included in the collection...but, of course, that’s just the sort of thing a label would say.)

If you don’t happen to have the Jethro Tull discography memorized, here’s the quintet of albums that you’ll find in this Original Album Series set: